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Victoria Area - Info Request

Victoria Area - Info Request

Old Mar 18th 2006, 1:09 pm
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Default Victoria Area - Info Request

We're starting our research into our next "downshift", whenever that might be, and we're looking at Van island.

Last time we visited was 1994 and because of planned family visits and visitors I doubt we'll get over to V.I. until this fall.

So, in the meantime I was looking for information to help narrow down the property search as well as giving us some pointers for areas to look at when we visit.

To give some idea of what we are looking for:

Interests: hiking/running, cycling, sailing (dinghy and yacht), kayaking, rowing (on water not with each other), restaurants, pubs.


Types of area:

"the straight swap" - We currently live in a inner-city residential neighbourhood which has restaurants, trendy shops, pubs etc and is a 20 min walk from downtown. Is there an area just outside the centre of Victoria which would mirror this?. We would still want a detached house, albeit smaller than present.

"the smaller town" - Alternatively are there any smaller towns just outside Victoria which could be recommended? By this I mean living 10 mins walk or 5 mins drive from local shops and maybe a Safeway and Blockbuster , and a 20-30 min drive to Victoria. In this situation we would be looking for a medium sized house with a larger yard.

I think that's about as far from Victoria as we would want to be. We like to "get away from it all" but not "live away from it all".

We're not that bothered about paying the premium for a sea view, but it would good to be 5-10 mins walk from the coast/beach.

Any views would be appreciated.

P.S. Living in western Canada now I am well aware of climates and property prices, so it's just area info I'm after
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Old Mar 18th 2006, 8:17 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by CalgaryBlade
So, in the meantime I was looking for information to help narrow down the property search as well as giving us some pointers for areas to look at when we visit.

To give some idea of what we are looking for:

Interests: hiking/running, cycling, sailing (dinghy and yacht), kayaking, rowing (on water not with each other), restaurants, pubs.
Hiya, I'm from Victoria.

There's not much for hiking within the city but for running you have oodles of places. Along Dallas Road (a long coastal footpath runs along the ocean), throughout Beacon Hill Park there are a lot of cedar chip trails and a lot of people just run through various neighbourhoods. The central YMCA is excellent (well it's a little too small in term of it's facilities but ...) for runners - clinics, maps for routes etc. plus there are a lot of speciality running shoe shops in the city. If you like to torture yourself, a lot of people run up Mt Doug (I think it's actually Mount Douglas - shit I don't even know!). I myself don't run but I've walked in all these places... runners blasting past me. Also there are nice tracks up at the university.

The 96? Commonwealth Games were in Victoria - so there are a lot of excellent sports facilities.

There are fantastic places to hike on the Island. I can give you loads of info (I've hiked and still do a lot, it's one of my things) but some examples:

Pacific Rim National Park - http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/index_e.asp

East Sooke Park:
http://www.crd.bc.ca/parks/east_sooke.htm

Juan de Fuca Marine Trail (hugs the coast -awesome):
http://www.sookeoutdoors.com/juandefucatrail/

The West Coast Trail (brutal!) I'm planning on doing it this August
http://www.westcoasttrailbc.com/

Cycling:
[IMG]http://www.gallopinggoosetrail.com/[/IMG] (great for walking/running/blading)

Victoria is very bike-friendly (small and relatively flat). I barely use a car when I live there - bikes are often quicker. Very strict bike laws within the city for lights, helmets, not riding on the sidewalk, signaling etc.. A lot of cops are on bikes too.

Lots of people cycle 'Scenic Drive' - it's a marked route starting from the Inner Harbour and follows the ocean around Greater Victoria - very scenic, twisty hilly bits, pretty much no stops. Lots of people drive it on sunny days - or cycle or roller blade or skateboard etc...

Sailing:
Lots of it - varying from snobby yacht clubs to people in canoes with makeshift bedsheet sails.

Annual yearly sailing race off Victoria:
http://www.swiftsure.org/

Rowing:
There's some rowing in the Gorge and Inner harbour (they're the same body of water, the Gorge is just further inland). There's a lot more rowing out at Elk Lake between Victoria and Sydney (on the road that takes you to the ferry terminal - can't miss it). Also Dragon Boat racing is very popular and a hoot. There's a yearly race/festival - http://www.victoriadragonboat.com/

See also: Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club:
http://www.vckc.ca/

Restaurants to die for. I think the the entire globe is represented and there are many, many great places to eat. If you like Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc... you will be in heaven. And Victoria being an apparently very 'British' city (it aint!) there are the tourist trap British Tearooms for ya. If you want more info - let me know. When I live there I eat out nearly all the time. Also, coffee shops everywhere.

My favourite restaurant in the world:
http://www.rebarmodernfood.com/

If budget isn't a problem and you want something special (apparently... cos I've never been - I'm wating til I can belch the entire alphabet) you could try The Aerie.
http://www.aerie.bc.ca/

Pubs:
Well known brewpub:
http://www.spinnakers.com/

Swans - good beer if you can tolerate the yuppies.
http://www.swanshotel.com/pub.html

There are many more but it's not really my thing so...

All are non-smoking.

Originally Posted by CalgaryBlade
Types of area:

"the straight swap" - We currently live in a inner-city residential neighbourhood which has restaurants, trendy shops, pubs etc and is a 20 min walk from downtown. Is there an area just outside the centre of Victoria which would mirror this?. We would still want a detached house, albeit smaller than present.)
Here's the MLS map of Victoria proper:


James Bay, Fairfield, Rockland are great areas. Imo, it would be very difficult to go wrong in any of them. Fernwood is great too - hippy-arty cool and funky but with some rough elements (would make an excellent investment imo as the rougher bits are being pressured out). Mayfair, Sears, Hillside - all nice enough but very suburban, imo. Central Park - nah. Songees - all condos. Rock Bay - being re-developed - mostly condos - same with Vic West.

Not shown on the map is Oak Bay to the east/right of Fairfield - It's its own city but part of Great Victoria - you can't really tell on the ground - they merge into one another. I personally think Oak Bay is beautiful but very boring, tweedy, snobby and very bland in it's atmosphere.

Originally Posted by CalgaryBlade
"the smaller town" - Alternatively are there any smaller towns just outside Victoria which could be recommended? By this I mean living 10 mins walk or 5 mins drive from local shops and maybe a Safeway and Blockbuster , and a 20-30 min drive to Victoria. In this situation we would be looking for a medium sized house with a larger yard.

I think that's about as far from Victoria as we would want to be. We like to "get away from it all" but not "live away from it all".
I personally don't like the outlying communities - the Western Communities - Langford, Colwood, etc Very strip mall, soulless and bland - big generalization to be fair but I just don't like it out there. Past there is Metchosin - I like Metchosin oh and East Sooke ... maybe a bit too rural and rustic than what you're after but neither place is very far from Victoria.

Warning! You do know that my insane family live in Victoria don't you?

Not sure what else to write - if you have anymore question, let me know. I'm planning on moving back (or at least to the coast) and have been 'researching'.
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Old Mar 19th 2006, 2:40 am
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by hot wasabi peas
Hiya, I'm from Victoria.

There's not much for hiking within the city but for running you have oodles of places. Along Dallas Road (a long coastal footpath runs along the ocean), throughout Beacon Hill Park there are a lot of cedar chip trails and a lot of people just run through various neighbourhoods. The central YMCA is excellent (well it's a little too small in term of it's facilities but ...) for runners - clinics, maps for routes etc. plus there are a lot of speciality running shoe shops in the city. If you like to torture yourself, a lot of people run up Mt Doug (I think it's actually Mount Douglas - shit I don't even know!). I myself don't run but I've walked in all these places... runners blasting past me. Also there are nice tracks up at the university.

The 96? Commonwealth Games were in Victoria - so there are a lot of excellent sports facilities.

There are fantastic places to hike on the Island. I can give you loads of info (I've hiked and still do a lot, it's one of my things) but some examples:

Pacific Rim National Park - http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/index_e.asp

East Sooke Park:
http://www.crd.bc.ca/parks/east_sooke.htm

Juan de Fuca Marine Trail (hugs the coast -awesome):
http://www.sookeoutdoors.com/juandefucatrail/

The West Coast Trail (brutal!) I'm planning on doing it this August
http://www.westcoasttrailbc.com/

Cycling:
[IMG]http://www.gallopinggoosetrail.com/[/IMG] (great for walking/running/blading)

Victoria is very bike-friendly (small and relatively flat). I barely use a car when I live there - bikes are often quicker. Very strict bike laws within the city for lights, helmets, not riding on the sidewalk, signaling etc.. A lot of cops are on bikes too.

Lots of people cycle 'Scenic Drive' - it's a marked route starting from the Inner Harbour and follows the ocean around Greater Victoria - very scenic, twisty hilly bits, pretty much no stops. Lots of people drive it on sunny days - or cycle or roller blade or skateboard etc...

Sailing:
Lots of it - varying from snobby yacht clubs to people in canoes with makeshift bedsheet sails.

Annual yearly sailing race off Victoria:
http://www.swiftsure.org/

Rowing:
There's some rowing in the Gorge and Inner harbour (they're the same body of water, the Gorge is just further inland). There's a lot more rowing out at Elk Lake between Victoria and Sydney (on the road that takes you to the ferry terminal - can't miss it). Also Dragon Boat racing is very popular and a hoot. There's a yearly race/festival - http://www.victoriadragonboat.com/

See also: Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club:
http://www.vckc.ca/

Restaurants to die for. I think the the entire globe is represented and there are many, many great places to eat. If you like Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc... you will be in heaven. And Victoria being an apparently very 'British' city (it aint!) there are the tourist trap British Tearooms for ya. If you want more info - let me know. When I live there I eat out nearly all the time. Also, coffee shops everywhere.

My favourite restaurant in the world:
http://www.rebarmodernfood.com/

If budget isn't a problem and you want something special (apparently... cos I've never been - I'm wating til I can belch the entire alphabet) you could try The Aerie.
http://www.aerie.bc.ca/

Pubs:
Well known brewpub:
http://www.spinnakers.com/

Swans - good beer if you can tolerate the yuppies.
http://www.swanshotel.com/pub.html

There are many more but it's not really my thing so...

All are non-smoking.



Here's the MLS map of Victoria proper:


James Bay, Fairfield, Rockland are great areas. Imo, it would be very difficult to go wrong in any of them. Fernwood is great too - hippy-arty cool and funky but with some rough elements (would make an excellent investment imo as the rougher bits are being pressured out). Mayfair, Sears, Hillside - all nice enough but very suburban, imo. Central Park - nah. Songees - all condos. Rock Bay - being re-developed - mostly condos - same with Vic West.

Not shown on the map is Oak Bay to the east/right of Fairfield - It's its own city but part of Great Victoria - you can't really tell on the ground - they merge into one another. I personally think Oak Bay is beautiful but very boring, tweedy, snobby and very bland in it's atmosphere.



I personally don't like the outlying communities - the Western Communities - Langford, Colwood, etc Very strip mall, soulless and bland - big generalization to be fair but I just don't like it out there. Past there is Metchosin - I like Metchosin oh and East Sooke ... maybe a bit too rural and rustic than what you're after but neither place is very far from Victoria.

Warning! You do know that my insane family live in Victoria don't you?

Not sure what else to write - if you have anymore question, let me know. I'm planning on moving back (or at least to the coast) and have been 'researching'.
Many thanks for taking the trouble to write such detailed reply.
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Old Mar 19th 2006, 5:55 am
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by CalgaryBlade
Many thanks for taking the trouble to write such detailed reply.
No problem. Also, there an older post of mine listing some of the cultural aspects of Victoria here: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ight=festivals
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 11:22 am
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by hot wasabi peas
No problem. Also, there an older post of mine listing some of the cultural aspects of Victoria here: http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ight=festivals
I've found that really useful too - so thanks wasabi; I'm moving out to Victoria in about 8 weeks, and having been looking at real estate around Oak Bay (which we really liked when we did a recce last month!) and James Bay (which would be walking distance from my office). Thanks!
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 12:50 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by The Escapea
I've found that really useful too - so thanks wasabi; I'm moving out to Victoria in about 8 weeks, and having been looking at real estate around Oak Bay (which we really liked when we did a recce last month!) and James Bay (which would be walking distance from my office). Thanks!
A lot of people like Oak Bay. Aesthetically I like it. As a community to live in, it's not me.

I love James Bay and lived there for probably 10 years or so. The one negatives I can say about it is - it's a bit noisey. The Helijet 'airport' is there and the helicopters fly in and out all day. I personally love that noise so it doesn't bother me but it does bother some. In the winter are the fog horns. Well you have to deal with that in much of Victoria but because so much of James Bay is close to the entrance of the Inner Harbour there are a lot of horns. Again, I like that noise and find it comforting to hear in the middle of the night. The noise that pisses me (and most other people) off is the cruise ships in the summer - sometimes their PA systems (annoucements, muzak) and engine noises just echo throughout the neighbourhood. I believe the city did something about that but I'm not sure. I moved.

If you like James Bay and Oak Bay, also consider Fairfield and Rockland.

Should I send my family to welcome you when you land? :scared:
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 1:34 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by hot wasabi peas
A lot of people like Oak Bay. Aesthetically I like it. As a community to live in, it's not me.

I love James Bay and lived there for probably 10 years or so. The one negatives I can say about it is - it's a bit noisey. The Helijet 'airport' is there and the helicopters fly in and out all day. I personally love that noise so it doesn't bother me but it does bother some. In the winter are the fog horns. Well you have to deal with that in much of Victoria but because so much of James Bay is close to the entrance of the Inner Harbour there are a lot of horns. Again, I like that noise and find it comforting to hear in the middle of the night. The noise that pisses me (and most other people) off is the cruise ships in the summer - sometimes their PA systems (annoucements, muzak) and engine noises just echo throughout the neighbourhood. I believe the city did something about that but I'm not sure. I moved.

If you like James Bay and Oak Bay, also consider Fairfield and Rockland.

Should I send my family to welcome you when you land? :scared:
Thanks for that tip - we'll start looking into Fairfield (looks like it's a bit better value than Oak bay!).
As for the welcomming committee - just a few flags and a bit of bunting will be fine...!! And if they see a mad boxer (dog) bouncing around the neighbourhood they'll know we've arrived...!
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 2:44 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by The Escapea
Thanks for that tip - we'll start looking into Fairfield (looks like it's a bit better value than Oak bay!).
As for the welcomming committee - just a few flags and a bit of bunting will be fine...!! And if they see a mad boxer (dog) bouncing around the neighbourhood they'll know we've arrived...!
LOL -just keep in mind that the property assessments for Fairfield (as least ours) went up 20% from last year. So dont faint when you see the cost of housing especially anything close to the ocean!

Fairfield is a beautiful area of the city to live - if I didnt live here, I would definitely live in James Bay!
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 2:53 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

dont forget the sunshine coast. its a lot cheaper than bc ferries back and forth to victoria and much cheaper prices than van city and only 35 mins to langdale on ferry.
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 3:18 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by Londonuck
dont forget the sunshine coast. its a lot cheaper than bc ferries back and forth to victoria and much cheaper prices than van city and only 35 mins to langdale on ferry.
Londonuck, can you explain what you mean? I've just looked up the ferry fares.

From what I can tell, an adult travelling with a vehicle from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen during peak hours would have to pay $46.30 ($10.30 adult fare + $34.20 for the vehicle + $1.80 fuel surcharge).

The same adult with the same vehicle travelling at the same time from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay would have to pay $44.05 ($9.15 adult fare + $32.65 for the vehicle + $2.25 fuel surcharge).

The Langdale - Horseshoe Bay fare appears to be $2.25 cheaper than the Swartz Bay - Tsawwassen fare. I wouldn't call that much cheaper.

Now there may be other benefits to the Sunshine Coast -- a good vibe, cheaper real estate than Vancouver, a shorter ferry ride to Vancouver than the one from the Island, etc. But I don't see the difference in ferry fares as being a significant factor.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be argumentative just for the sake of being argumentative. I'm seriously comparing the pros and cons of Vancouver Island and those of the Sunshine Coast.
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 3:22 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

my mistake then... im sure it was much more expensive to go horseshoe bay to the island than to langdale. langdale is only 35 mins compared with 90 mins to the island. u sure u got that right?

sorry about that.
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 3:27 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by Londonuck
my mistake then... im sure it was much more expensive to go horseshoe bay to the island than to langdale. langdale is only 35 mins compared with 90 mins to the island. u sure u got that right?

sorry about that.
Thanks for the clarification.
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 3:40 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by Londonuck
my mistake then... im sure it was much more expensive to go horseshoe bay to the island than to langdale. langdale is only 35 mins compared with 90 mins to the island. u sure u got that right?

sorry about that.
Yep that's right.

Here is a link to the fares for Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and one for Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo (Departure Bay) you can check it out yourself.

Cheers
Steve
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Old Mar 20th 2006, 5:36 pm
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by CalgaryBlade
We're starting our research into our next "downshift", whenever that might be, and we're looking at Van island.

Last time we visited was 1994 and because of planned family visits and visitors I doubt we'll get over to V.I. until this fall.

So, in the meantime I was looking for information to help narrow down the property search as well as giving us some pointers for areas to look at when we visit.

To give some idea of what we are looking for:

Interests: hiking/running, cycling, sailing (dinghy and yacht), kayaking, rowing (on water not with each other), restaurants, pubs.


Types of area:

"the straight swap" - We currently live in a inner-city residential neighbourhood which has restaurants, trendy shops, pubs etc and is a 20 min walk from downtown. Is there an area just outside the centre of Victoria which would mirror this?. We would still want a detached house, albeit smaller than present.

"the smaller town" - Alternatively are there any smaller towns just outside Victoria which could be recommended? By this I mean living 10 mins walk or 5 mins drive from local shops and maybe a Safeway and Blockbuster , and a 20-30 min drive to Victoria. In this situation we would be looking for a medium sized house with a larger yard.

I think that's about as far from Victoria as we would want to be. We like to "get away from it all" but not "live away from it all".

We're not that bothered about paying the premium for a sea view, but it would good to be 5-10 mins walk from the coast/beach.

Any views would be appreciated.

P.S. Living in western Canada now I am well aware of climates and property prices, so it's just area info I'm after
Hi Calgary Blade,

May I ask what Calgary is like to live in? I realise you're moving on, but what did you think of it?
We passed through the place, and briefly saw some neighbourhoods - looks pleasant and clean, away from the main roads, peppered with restuarants, industry etc.

Sorry, this doesn't answer your question on Victoria - just wanted views from a Calgary resident.

All The Best.
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Old Mar 21st 2006, 12:09 am
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Default Re: Victoria Area - Info Request

Originally Posted by happylandings
Hi Calgary Blade,

May I ask what Calgary is like to live in? I realise you're moving on, but what did you think of it?
We passed through the place, and briefly saw some neighbourhoods - looks pleasant and clean, away from the main roads, peppered with restuarants, industry etc.

Sorry, this doesn't answer your question on Victoria - just wanted views from a Calgary resident.

All The Best.
We're not moving on permanently for a while, probably not until our children finish high school. But it never hurts to do some planning. It took us 10 years to move from the UK to Canada and in all that time we were researching and planning (and saving).

As for Calgary:

The whole family enjoys living here. Generally it's a clean city, business is booming, plenty of jobs, good schools (lots of choices), clean air, sunshine, great for kids etc, etc.

As I said we did plenty of research on Canadian cities before moving from London (UK). Based on the lifestyle we wanted and as well as the financial set up we wanted Calgary ticked the most boxes. We like Vancouver too but there's now way we could live in a similar house to what we have here and be only a mile or so away from the city centre.

But in the same way as Calgary was a downshift from London for us in terms of the rat-race, commute, both parents working etc, there may come a time when we want to downshift further hence the interest in Van Island especially if, as predicted, Calgary gets busier.

One has to remember that Calgary is the fastest growing city in North America and is starting to sprawl. As more people move here, the edge of the city gets further from the centre. The public transit is clean and reliable but can't keep pace with housing development. This means more cars on the roads etc. Which is good news for those who own houses closer to the centre as it causes prices rise at a faster rate as they become more desirable

The other downside to being in a booming city for many is the cost of housing. Prices in Calgary have gone crazy in the last year or so. e.g. We've had our house 18 months and, according to similar houses sold in our area recently, it's value has gone up by 60%. That's in CAD, if we were to move here now with the current CAD/GBP rate I doubt we'd even look at it because in GBP it's pretty much doubled in value :scared:

Things may steady out, and I hope so as it's unsustainable.

But as a current example of boom pricing:

How much?

Okay, not an average house but even so that's a lot of cash.

Last edited by CalgaryBlade; Mar 21st 2006 at 12:11 am.
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